Suspicious package investigated

Local and federal officials late Friday removed a package from a bus in Blue Summit.

“It was a confirmed threat, though it was not an explosive device,” said Sgt. Ronda Montgomery, a spokesperson for the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.

A call came in to authorities about 10:40 a.m. about a suspicious package at First Transit on 13th Street in the unincorporated area of Jackson County near western Independence. The company’s buses are used, for example, to transport people with disabilities.

The FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were called in, as was the Missouri National Guard, which has some specialized equipment. Independence and Lee’s Summit emergency responders also were on the scene.

Late Friday, Montgomery said, authories cleared the scene and the area was again safe. The device was being held, and an investigation into the incident continued.